It is also the theme of World War II, one of the favorite themes of German films. Only this time, the protagonists are those ordinary women who experienced the defeat of Germany.
The title, if translated verbatim, would be Anonymous - A Woman in Berlin. Anonymous, it can be understood that this woman is just a representative, representing the group of women who experienced Berlin after the war, so no specific signature is required. But the original reason for this anonymity was because the woman could not sign. The story in the film comes from her diary, in which she recorded in detail her post-war experience: being raped repeatedly, in order to survive, she committed herself to a Soviet officer for protection, and developed an emotional relationship with it. contact. It is not difficult to imagine what kind of reactions such an autobiography would evoke once it was published. Women who have the same experience will feel ashamed, not only because of the physical and psychological torture, but also because of their inability to resist at that time and annoyance at their own compromises. Shame is such a strong emotion that it can make people seal the experience related to it, sink into the deepest memory, and try to cut off this connection and deny their own past.
The heroine is not such a person. As a female journalist, she has lived in many countries and speaks several languages. She is not without shame, but she knows that resistance is useless. Faced with the women passing by surrounded by Soviet soldiers, the women who shouted to her "You can speak Russian, tell him he can't do it", she has no words, what can she say? Therefore, she decided to reconcile with herself and her sense of shame. In order to survive, it's not a problem to live temporarily. There is no such thing as black and white in life, and just surviving does not mean losing dignity. While watching this movie, I was also reading Viktor Frankl's book...trotzdem ja zum Leben sagen. The real brave people in life are those who have experienced hardships, but still dare to look back at these pasts, and survive with scars, whether it is physical or mental.
The heroine's husband came back, she asked him to read his diary, and after reading he said, "Just looking at you makes me sick." He is not glad that his wife survived, but thinks she is dirty. This mainstream view of society can be the last straw to overwhelm those who have survived the hardships, whether from the closest people or from the larger social environment. Fortunately, our heroine is strong enough to have her own ideas. Two days later, his husband left, wondering if he would come back, she said, "It's amazing that he's gone, I'm not sad. I'm still going to find flint and steel and repair the studio..." Yes Ah, life still has to go on, I can always rely on myself, it was in the past, it is now, and it will be in the future.
Although this story takes place in the context of World War II, the thinking about life in the film is also applicable to the present. In addition to survival and coping, this story once again shows the complexity of human nature, so I won't say more here. The plot of the story is compact and logical. Personally, it is a pity that the film did not describe in detail how the relationship between the two developed. Although there were one or two scenarios, it was still not enough, so when the colonel came in with a bicycle, he asked the heroine whether he would choose him or not. When choosing another one, it seemed a bit awkward. But overall, it's one of the best German films.
View more about Anonyma - Eine Frau in Berlin reviews
